Diseases Commons^™

A Novel Multi-Network Approach Reveals Tissue-Specific Cellular Modulators Of Fibrosis In Systemic Sclerosis, Jaclyn N. Taroni, Casey S. Greene, Viktor Martyanov, Tammara A. Wood

Dartmouth Scholarship

Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is a multi-organ autoimmune disease characterized by skin fibrosis. Internal organ involvement is heterogeneous. It is unknown whether disease mechanisms are common across all involved affected tissues or if each manifestation has a distinct underlying pathology.We used consensus clustering to compare gene expression profiles of biopsies from four SSc-affected tissues (skin, lung, esophagus, and peripheral blood) from patients with SSc, and the related conditions pulmonary fibrosis (PF) and pulmonary arterial hypertension, and derived a consensus disease-associate signature across all tissues. We used this signature to query tissue-specific functional genomic networks. We performed novel network analyses to contrast …

A New Class Of Inhibitors Of The Arac Family Virulence Regulator Vibrio Cholerae Toxt, Anne K. Woodbrey, Evans O. Onyango, Maria Pellegrini, Gabriela Kovacikova, Ronald Taylor, Gordon Gribble, F. Jon Kull

Dartmouth Scholarship

Vibrio cholerae is responsible for the diarrheal disease cholera that infects millions of people worldwide. While vaccines protecting against cholera exist, and oral rehydration therapy is an effective treatment method, the disease will remain a global health threat until long-term solutions such as improved sanitation and access to clean water become widely available. Because of this, there is a pressing need for potent therapeutics that can either mitigate cholera symptoms, or act prophylactically to prevent the virulent effects of a cholera infection. Here we report the design, synthesis, and characterization of a set of compounds that bind and inhibit ToxT, …

Outcomes In Necrotizing Enterocolitis (Nec) Treated With Granulocyte Colony Stimulating Factor (Gcsf) And Intravenous Immunoglobulin (Ivig) Vs Standard Of Care Alone: Rct Interim Safety Analysis, Sanjeet Panda, Courtney Briggs-Steinberg, Brian Debenedictis, Sri Narayana, Edmund F. La Gamma

NYMC Faculty Posters

No abstract provided.

The Zika Virus Threat: How Concerns About Scientists May Undermine Efforts To Combat The Pandemic, Thomas G. Safford, Lawrence C. Hamilton, Emily Whitmore

Carsey Publications

Using data from the University of New Hampshire’s October 2016 Granite State Poll, authors Thomas Safford, Lawrence Hamilton, and Emily Whitmore investigate how New Hampshire residents view the Zika crisis. They report that most New Hampshire residents believe Zika is only a minor threat to public health in the United States, and they generally trust the CDC as a source of information about the virus. The data also show that, while there is doubt about the government’s ability to control the spread of the virus, the public feels that emergency federal funding to combat Zika should be a priority. They …

The Recognition Of Hpv Infection As A Risk Factor For Cardiovascular Disease In Men, Hayley Stettner

Graduate Student Research Symposium

Human papilloma virus (HPV) is the most common sexually transmitted infection. Strains 16 and 18 are causes of cervical, anogenital, and oropharyngeal cancer. A study found a nearly 3-fold increase in incidence of cardiovascular (CV) events, i.e. stroke and myocardial infarction (MI), in HPV-infected women. HPV-16 and 18 contain protein E6 that binds to p53 tumor suppressor protein, which aids in regulating atherosclerosis, and causes p53 protein degeneration. Additional studies have linked absence of p53 protein to accumulation of atherosclerosis in the body, which is the leading cause of CV events. Presented is a case of a 55-year old male …

Applications Of Next-Generation Sequencing In Cancer Research And Molecular Diagnosis, Kesheng Wang, Chun Xu

Health & Biomedical Sciences Faculty Publications

Next-generation sequencing (NGS) technologies including DNA sequencing and RNA sequencing provide “omics” approaches to reveal genomic, transcriptomic, and epigenomic landscapes of individual cancers. A variety of genomic aberrations can be screened simultaneously, such as common and rare variants, structural variations (e.g. insertions and deletions), copy-number variation, and fusion transcripts. NGS technologies together with bioinformatics analysis, which expand our knowledge, are increasingly used to simultaneously analyze multiple genes in a cost and time-effective manner and have been applied in analyzing clinical cancer samples and offering NGS-based molecular diagnosis. Therefore, NGS is increasingly valuable as a tool for diagnosis for a number …

Associations Between Genetic Variants In Mrna Splicing-Related Genes And Risk Of Lung Cancer: A Pathway-Based Analysis From Published Gwass, Yongchu Pan, Hongliang Liu, Yanru Wang, Xiaozheng Kang, Kouros Owzar, Younghun Han

Dartmouth Scholarship

mRNA splicing is an important mechanism to regulate mRNA expression. Abnormal regulation of thisprocess may lead to lung cancer. Here, we investigated the associations of 11,966 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in 206 mRNA splicing-related genes with lung cancer risk by using the summarydata from six published genome-wide association studies (GWASs) of Transdisciplinary Research in Cancerof the Lung (TRICL) (12,160 cases and 16,838 controls) and another two lung cancer GWASs of Harvard University (984 cases and 970 controls) and deCODE (1,319 cases and 26,380 controls). We found that a total of 12 significant SNPs with false discovery rate (FDR) ≤0.05 were mapped …

Venoarterial Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation For Cardiogenic Shock: A Retrospective Analysis Based On The Etiology Of Shock, Andrew Burchett, Thomas Tribble, Richard Charnigo, Susan Smyth, Maya Guglin

The VAD Journal

Abstract:

Background: We performed a retrospective analysis to evaluate the efficacy of VA-ECMO support in cardiogenic shock based on various etiologies.

Methods: We retrospectively analyzed 99 patients supported with VA-ECMO from January 1, 2012 to January 1, 2015. Outcomes included survival to discontinuation of VA-ECMO support and survival to hospital discharge. The etiologies of cardiogenic shock included cardiac arrest (CPR), acute myocardial infarction (AMI), decompensated congestive heart failure (CHF), pulmonary embolism (PE), right ventricular failure (RVF) not secondary to an acute pulmonary embolism, and post-cardiotomy syndrome (PCS). The PCS group was used as a reference group; odds ratios were estimated …

Are Gene Polymorphisms Of Fibroblast Growth Factor 10 Associated With Patent Ductus Arteriosus And Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia In Extremely Low Birth Weight Infants?, Shaili Amatya, Asma Amin, Umesh Paudel, Lance A. Parton

NYMC Faculty Posters

No abstract provided.

Draft Genome Sequence Of Cercospora Sojina Isolate S9, A Fungus Causing Frogeye Leaf Spot (Fls) Disease Of Soybean, Fanchang Zeng, Chaofan Wang, Guirong Zhang, Junmei Wei, Carl A. Bradley, Ray Ming

Plant Pathology Faculty Publications

Fungi are the causal agents of many of the world's most serious plant diseases causing disastrous consequences for large-scale agricultural production. Pathogenicity genomic basis is complex in fungi as multicellular eukaryotic pathogens. The fungus Cercospora sojina is a plant pathogen that threatens global soybean supplies. Here, we report the genome sequence of C. sojina strain S9 and detect genome features and predicted genomic elements. The genome sequence of C. sojina is a valuable resource with potential in studying the fungal pathogenicity and soybean host resistance to frogeye leaf spot (FLS), which is caused by C. sojina. …

Dynamic Transcriptomes Identify Biogenic Amines And Insect-Like Hormonal Regulation For Mediating Reproduction In Schistosoma Japonicum., Jipeng Wang, Ying Yu, Haimo Shen, Tao Qing, Yuanting Zheng, Qing Li, Xiaojin Mo, Shuqi Wang, Nana Li, Riyi Chai, Bin Xu, Mu Liu, Paul J Brindley, Donald P Mcmanus, Zheng Feng, Leming Shi, Wei Hu

Microbiology, Immunology, and Tropical Medicine Faculty Publications

Eggs produced by the mature female parasite are responsible for the pathogenesis and transmission of schistosomiasis. Female schistosomes rely on a unique male-induced strategy to accomplish reproductive development, a process that is incompletely understood. Here we map detailed transcriptomic profiles of male and female Schistosoma japonicum across eight time points throughout the sexual developmental process from pairing to maturation. The dynamic gene expression pattern data reveal clear sex-related characteristics, indicative of an unambiguous functional division between males and females during their interplay. Cluster analysis, in situ hybridization and RNAi assays indicate that males likely use biogenic amine neurotransmitters through the …

Pope Francis I To Meet With Victims Of Huntington’S Disease, A First For A World Leader, Kenneth P. Serbin

At Risk for Huntington's Disease

No abstract provided.

They’Re Not Just Big Kids: A Service Delivery Model For Young Adults With Cleft Lip/Palate, Linda Vallino, Brenda Louw

ETSU Faculty Works

No abstract provided.

Sex-Dependent Effects Of Ho-1 Deletion From Adipocytes In Mice, Peter A. Hosick, Mary Frances Weeks, Michael W. Hankins, Kyle H. Moore, David E. Stec

Department of Exercise Science and Physical Education Scholarship and Creative Works

Induction of heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) has been demonstrated to decrease body weight and improve insulin sensitivity in several models of obesity in rodents. To further study the role of HO-1 in adipose tissue, we created an adipose-specific HO-1 knockout mouse model. Male and female mice were fed either a control or a high-fat diet for 30 weeks. Body weights were measured weekly and body composition, fasting blood glucose and insulin levels were determined every six weeks. Adipocyte-specific knockout of HO-1 had no significant effect on body weight in mice fed a high-fat diet but increased body weight in female mice …

P23. Elucidation Of The Signaling Pathway Of Mertk, Kyle Taruc

Western Research Forum

Background

Mer Tyrosine Kinase (MERTK) is a receptor which mediates efferocytosis – removal of apoptotic cells by phagocytes such as macrophages. MERTK plays a critical role in homeostasis, with mutations in MERTK associated with the development and progression of atherosclerosis, the buildup of cholesterol-laden plaque in the sub-arterial space. Indeed, one MERTK allele is associated with 66% (heterozygous) to 75% (homozygous) protection from atherosclerosis, while other alleles and SNP’s pre-dispose to atherosclerosis and autoimmunity. Complications resulting from atherosclerosis, including heart attack and stroke, are currently the second leading cause of mortality in Canada. Despite the importance of MERTK in atherosclerosis …

P30. Optimizing Current Steering In Deep Brain Stimulation For Treating Parkinsonian Axial Motor Symptoms, Daphne Hui

Western Research Forum

Background: The proposed study will investigate deep brain stimulation (DBS), of the subthalamic nucleus (STN) to improve gait dysfunctions in advanced Parkinson’s Disease (PD). DBS requires implantation of electrodes into the brain that contain contacts where current traverses to stimulate neurons. Imprecise electrode implantations are inherent in surgical implantation; thus, contributing to the elusiveness of DBS on gait.

Methods: The proposed investigation will divide current between two contacts to receive 0, 30, 50, 70, or 100% of current, to find the best combination to improve gait. Gait changes associated with fractional combinations will be visually assessed with clinical scales, and …

P35. Investigating The Effect Of Maternal Immune Activation On Sensory Filtering, Social Behaviour And Attention, Faraj Haddad

Western Research Forum

Background

Altered brain development is associated with many neuropsychiatric disorders like Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and schizophrenia. Environmental insults can interfere with neurodevelopment, and a prominent example is maternal infection during pregnancy. Epidemiological studies show that children born to mothers who were infected during pregnancy display a higher risk of developing ASD and schizophrenia, and this effect is mainly due to the maternal immune response. Polyinosinic-polycytidilic acid (Poly I:C) is a double stranded RNA molecule that mimics viral markers and elicits an immune response. When injected in pregnant rodents, this model produces offspring that exhibit core symptoms of ASD and …

Parental Quality Of Life 10 Years After Their Child’S Epilepsy Diagnosis, Klajdi Puka, Kathy Nixon Speechley

Western Research Forum

Background: Although the long-term course of childhood epilepsy is favorable in terms of seizure control, patients often face debilitating cognitive and psychosocial deficits that persist even after seizure remission. Pediatric epilepsy also has a large impact on the family and has been shown to be associated with diminished quality of life (QOL) among parents. However, the long-term outcome of parental QOL is unknown. This study aimed to 1) evaluate parental QOL 10 years after their child was diagnosed with epilepsy and 2) identify epilepsy-, child- and family-related characteristics associated with diminished parental QOL.

Methods: Data were derived …

Pulmonary Surfactant Fortified With Cath-2 As A Novel Therapy For Bacterial Pneumonia, Brandon J. Baer

Western Research Forum

Background: Bacterial pneumonia is a leading cause of death worldwide, with high mortality rates persisting even after antibiotic treatment. Current treatments for pneumonia involve administration of antibiotics, however after the bacteria are killed they release toxic substances that induce inflammation and lung dysfunction. Host defense peptides represent a potential solution to this problem through their ability to down regulate inflammation. However, effective delivery to the lung is difficult because of the complex branching structure of the airways. My study addresses this delivery problem by using exogenous surfactant, a pulmonary delivery vehicle capable of improving spreading of these peptides throughout the …

Bioactive Lipids And Circulating Progenitor Cells In Patients With Cardiovascular Disease, Salim S. Hayek, Yuri Klyachkin, Ahmed Asfour, Nima Ghasemzadeh, Mosaab Awad, Iraj Hesaroieh, Hina Ahmed, Brandon Gray, Jinhee Kim, Edmund K. Waller, Arshed A. Quyyumi, Ahmed K. Abdel-Latif

Internal Medicine Faculty Publications

Bone marrow-derived progenitor cells are mobilized into the peripheral blood after acute myocardial injury and in chronic ischemic heart disease. However, the mechanisms responsible for this mobilization are poorly understood. We examined the relationship between plasma levels of bioactive lipids and number of circulating progenitor cells (CPCs) in patients (N = 437) undergoing elective or emergent cardiac catheterization. Plasma levels of sphingosine-1 phosphate (S1P) and ceramide-1 phosphate (C1P) were quantified using mass spectrometry. CPCs were assessed using flow cytometry. S1P levels correlated with the numbers of CD34+, CD34+/CD133+, and CD34+/CXCR4+ CPCs even after adjustment for potential confounding factors. However, …

Utilizing Three Years Of Epidemiological Data From Medical Missions In Cambodia To Shape The Mobile Medical Clinic Formulary, Jeany Kim Jun, Junia S. Koo, Amy Y. Kang, Deborah B. Chien, Albert Shim, Dale Knutson, Eda M. Kim

Pharmacy Faculty Articles and Research

Objective: The purpose of this project was to gather epidemiological data on common diseases and medications dispensed during medical mission teams to Cambodia to shape the mobile medical clinic formulary.

Methods: Data for patients seen during week-long, mobile, medical clinics was collected in Cambodia during Septembers 2012 to 2014. Patient’s gender, age, weight, blood pressure, glucose, pertinent laboratory values, diagnoses, and medications dispensed were collected. Blood pressure and glucose were measured in patients 18 years and above. Data collected onto paper intake forms were transferred onto spreadsheets without patient identifying information and analyzed for aggregate means, common diseases, and most …

Enhanced Control Of Mycobacterium Tuberculosis Extrapulmonary Dissemination In Mice By An Arabinomannan-Protein Conjugate Vaccine, R Prados-Rosales, L Carreno, T Cheng, C Blanc, B Weinrick, Aharona Glatman-Freedman, A Casadevall, S Hung, A Tripathi, J Xu, Aharona Glatman-Freedman, W Jacobs Jr., J Chan, S Porcelli, J Achkar, A Casadevall

NYMC Faculty Publications

Currently there are a dozen or so of new vaccine candidates in clinical trials for prevention of tuberculosis (TB) and each formulation attempts to elicit protection by enhancement of cell-mediated immunity (CMI). In contrast, most approved vaccines against other bacterial pathogens are believed to mediate protection by eliciting antibody responses. However, it has been difficult to apply this formula to TB because of the difficulty in reliably eliciting protective antibodies. Here, we developed capsular polysaccharide conjugates by linking mycobacterial capsular arabinomannan (AM) to either Mtb Ag85b or B. anthracis protective antigen (PA). Further, we studied their immunogenicity by ELISA and …

A Murine Model To Study Epilepsy And Sudep Induced By Malaria Infection., Paddy Ssentongo, Anna E Robuccio, Godfrey Thuku, Derek G Sim, Ali Nabi, Fatemeh Bahari, Balaji Shanmugasundaram, Myles W Billard, Andrew Geronimo, Kurt W Short, Patrick J Drew, Jennifer Baccon, Steven L Weinstein, Frank G Gilliam, José A Stoute, Vernon M Chinchilli, Andrew F Read, Bruce J Gluckman, Steven J Schiff

Neurology Faculty Publications

One of the largest single sources of epilepsy in the world is produced as a neurological sequela in survivors of cerebral malaria. Nevertheless, the pathophysiological mechanisms of such epileptogenesis remain unknown and no adjunctive therapy during cerebral malaria has been shown to reduce the rate of subsequent epilepsy. There is no existing animal model of postmalarial epilepsy. In this technical report we demonstrate the first such animal models. These models were created from multiple mouse and parasite strain combinations, so that the epilepsy observed retained universality with respect to genetic background. We also discovered spontaneous sudden unexpected death in epilepsy …

Apolipoprotein E4 And Insulin Resistance Interact To Impair Cognition And Alter The Epigenome And Metabolome, Lance A. Johnson, Eileen Ruth S. Torres, Soren Impey, Jan F. Stevens, Jacob Raber

Physiology Faculty Publications

Apolipoprotein E4 (E4) and type 2 diabetes are major risk factors for cognitive decline and late onset Alzheimer’s disease (AD). E4-associated phenotypes and insulin resistance (IR) share several features and appear to interact in driving cognitive dysfunction. However, shared mechanisms that could explain their overlapping pathophysiology have yet to be found. We hypothesized that, compared to E3 mice, E4 mice would be more susceptible to the harmful cognitive effects of high fat diet (HFD)-induced IR due to apoE isoform-specific differences in brain metabolism. While both E3 and E4 mice fed HFD displayed impairments in peripheral metabolism and cognition, deficits in …

Ethnic Groups’ Knowledge, Attitude And Practices And Rift Valley Fever Exposure In Isiolo County Of Kenya, Hippolyte Affognon, Peter Mburu, Osama Ahmed Hassan, Sarah Kingori, Clas Ahlm, Rosemary Sang, Magnus Evander

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

Rift Valley fever (RVF) is an emerging mosquito-borne viral hemorrhagic fever in Africa and the Arabian Peninsula, affecting humans and livestock. For spread of infectious diseases, including RVF, knowledge, attitude and practices play an important role, and the understanding of the influence of behavior is crucial to improve prevention and control efforts. The objective of the study was to assess RVF exposure, in a multiethnic region in Kenya known to experience RVF outbreaks, from the behavior perspective. We investigated how communities in Isiolo County, Kenya were affected, in relation to their knowledge, attitude and practices, by the RVF outbreak of …

Gastrointestinal-Renal Axis: Role In The Regulation Of Blood Pressure., Jian Yang, Pedro A Jose, Chunyu Zeng

Medicine Faculty Publications

Hypertension is one of the most common and important health problems worldwide.1 It has been estimated that 29% of the world's adult population, or 1.56 billion people, will have hypertension by the year 2025.2The prevalence of high blood pressure and its adverse consequences result in a heavy burden for hypertensive patients from high‐, middle‐, and low‐income countries.2, 3 Many monogenic causes of hypertension have been reported. However, determining the causes of essential hypertension has been hampered because it is a complex disorder with genetic, epigenetic, and environmental determinants. Among numerous environmental factors, sodium intake is …

Modification Of The Ruiz-Moreno Chikungunya Seir Model, Joseph Devlin

UNO Student Research and Creative Activity Fair

The Ruiez-Moreno CHIKV model predicts the outcome of the Chikungunya disease. Chikungunya, a disease similar to the Zika virus, is vector-borne with very little treatment for patients. This experiment looks to find ways to improve the model. The model will still need further improvement, as there is no model that can predict with full certainty. However, a method of modification has been made to expedite the process, the code has been rearranged for easy input and to minimize possibility of unwanted changes, and the control files for comparison have been created. The method to modify the model can be superimposed …

Levodopa-Induced Morot Behavior Alterations In Dosophila Larvae, James Stanton

UNO Student Research and Creative Activity Fair

Exposing L-Dopa to Drosophila Melanogaster larvae and recording their induced dyskinetic behavior

Chagas Heart Disease: A United States National Study, Srikanth Yandrapalli, Prakash Harikrishnan, Abdallah Sanaani, Wilbert S. Aronow, Sachin Sule, Alan L. Gass, Chhaya Aggarwal, William H. Frishman, Gregg C. Fonarow, Gregg M. Lanier, Howard A. Cooper, Julio Panza

NYMC Faculty Posters

No abstract provided.

In-Hospital Outcomes And Hospitalizations For Acute Rheumatic Heart Disease: A United States National Study, Srikanth Yandrapalli, Abdallah Sanaani, Zeeshan Solangi, Merita Shehu, Sachin Sule, Wilbert S. Aronow

NYMC Faculty Posters

No abstract provided.